Many manufacturers of cosmetics, toiletries, beauty and skincare products, etc. commonly promote their products by distributing free samples to current or potential consumers with the goal of building and/or maintaining customer loyalty for the products or product lines. One method of distributing such samples has been to give them to potential customers in a store in which the product is specifically sold. A more effective method has been mailing packages containing sample packettes to a targeted audience through the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
Mail packages distributed through the USPS have been mailed either under a non-discounted rate classification or under a more economical bulk rate classification. To qualify for classification under the bulk mail rate, each mail package must comply with certain guidelines set by the USPS, including size requirements based on length, height and thickness, and further requiring the length/height aspect ratio be within a certain range. The requirements for obtaining the bulk mail rate are documented in the USPS Domestic Mailing Manual (DMM).
When the sample packette contains a fluid and/or volatile composition such as a liquid, USPS guidelines also require that the mailing package must be capable of being processed by bulk mail sorting equipment through delivery without leakage of any liquid. As used herein, “liquid” refers to any liquid, creme, lotion, color cosmetic, gel, paste, or other fluid product, and any aromatic, fragrance or other volatile product in any form, such as sachet, that could potentially leak or evaporate from the sample packette containing the liquid if the sample packette, which is the primary liquid retention device, fails at any point during bulk mail processing through delivery to the recipient. A liquid containing sample packette shall be referred to subsequently as a “sample liquid packette.”
Not later than May 2008 the USPS DMM requirements could be met by packaging, referred to as “cartons,” that were relatively thick (up to ¾ inch) and sturdy but which still qualified for a low bulk mail rate. Some bulk mailers utilized plastic to wrap liquid sample bulk mailing packages in order to meet liquid leakage prevention requirements. The USPS bulk mailing package requirements were changed as the USPS changed equipment. The new requirements were included with modifications to the DMM as the DMM was transformed into a series of documents dated May 2008, the entire series of DMM documents incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. In particular, section 201 for “Physical Standards” with its sub-subsection 1.1.1 for “Dimensional Standards for Letters” within subsection 1.1 for “Physical Standards for Machinable Letters;” its subsection 3.0 for “Physical Standards for Machinable and Automation Letters and Cards” with all its sub-subsections; and section 601 for “Mailability” with all its subsections are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.
The net result of changes to the DMM in May 2008 was that cartons or plastic wrapping used for liquid sample bulk mailing packages were, at a minimum, subject to a substantially higher “large envelope” or “Not-Flat Machinable” bulk mail rate. A lower USPS machine-readable mailing rate applicable to letter size bulk mail is not available for plastic wrapped mailings and is available only for items up to ¼ inch thick that meet other size and flexibility requirements. Cartons are both thicker than ¼ inch and relatively rigid in construction, thus unable to meet the new requirements. Due to the increased costs of mailing through the USPS, manufacturers of liquid products subsequently sought alternative methods to place product samples, including distribution of samples in stores or other location frequented by likely customers, such as malls, convention centers, or cruise ships. Distribution through these methods are not as effective in reaching potential customers likely to purchase a product after trying a sample as previously used targeted mailings, which were based on customer information available to manufacturers and/or their marketers.
Accordingly, there is a need for a liquid sample bulk mailing packaging device that can meet the USPS requirements for obtaining the bulk mail rate for automated/machinable letters. There is also a need for a cost effective liquid sample bulk mailing package assembly method. There is also a need for a liquid sample bulk mailing package that can, without plastic wrapping around the external package surface, prevent leakage or evaporation outside the package in the event of failure of the sample liquid packette from the initial deposit of the package with the USPS through the mail sorting and delivery process to the ultimate recipient.